Tugende finances income-generating assets for proven entrepreneurs. We invest in giving a chance to customers generally unable to access traditional credit providers, including most micro-finance institutions—often due to a lack of existing collateral.

Our primary product is a lease to own motorcycle financing package which includes training, life and health insurance, driving permits, and active support. Successful customers own the bike within 24 months or less. Ownership allows drivers to save money they would normally spend renting, and provides accumulated savings in the value of a paid-off motorcycle. Our thousands of alumni customers (owners) have used the savings to invest in new businesses, buy land and build houses, improve their health care and invest in better education for their children, moving themselves and their families up the economic ladder.

In the long term, we envision leasing other productive assets to trustworthy entrepreneurs, and to expand our support services, like the insurance we provide today, for people determined to become financially independent.

ORIGIN STORY

Tugende means “let’s go,” and our story is about always moving forward. Starting in 2006, now CEO Michael Wilkerson hired hundreds of boda bodas to help him chase stories across Kampala and generally avoid being stuck in traffic. .

Tugende was first inspired by Michael’s friendship with a young, hardworking boda driver, Medie, who was able to get an informal loan and own his own motorcycle. After ownership, Medie used his extra income to build a house for his mother, allowing her to stop renting as well.

Most boda drivers were stuck renting forever—considered too risky for formal credit--and had little job stability as informal landlords could withdraw the motorcycle at any time. Knowing Medie’s story in 2009, we started financing motorcycles to trustworthy drivers and registered a company called Own Your Own Boda. In 2013, the organization changed its name to Tugende, which means "Let's Go" in Luganda and many other regional languages. Tugende matches our mission of helping people move themselves forward, our attitude, and our progress, with over 7,000 clients and tens of thousands of their family members better off thanks to our path to ownership.

Our Core Values

Empathy

We literally built Tugende from the ground up around understanding our customers and what they need and want. We focus on respect, dignity, and being approachable, especially when there are challenges.

Solutions-Oriented

We have the courage to identify and act on problems, proactively creating and seizing opportunities. We think critically about long term solutions and support each other and customers to positive outcomes.

Always Growing

We encourage each other to take risks, to try things we've never done, to learn from successes and setbacks, and to always adopt an open mind to learning as an organization, as professionals and as people.

Integrity

Trust with our clients, colleagues, colleagues and partners is the back bone of what we do.

Work as a Team

We start with humility, dependability and support. We believe the collective production of our team is greater than the sum of its parts, and we support one another daily.

"The startup has received an overwhelming reception since its launch. Currently, it has more than 150 employees under its umbrella who get their daily living from the startup. The employees...attend to more than 12,000 motorcycle taxis riders and 5,000 have been able to buy their motorcycle taxis."